Sherry Lansing (b.1944,) originally Sherry Lee Duhl, is an American film executive, producer, and philanthropist. She became the first woman to head a major Hollywood studio. Since leaving Paramount in 2004, she has focused on cancer research through her charity, the Sherry Lansing Foundation.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University before pursuing a career in entertainment. She began as an actress, appearing in films such as Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970.) Disenchanted with acting, she shifted to production work, starting as a script reader at MGM. She became Vice President of Production at Columbia Pictures and, in 1980, was named president of production at 20th Century Fox, the first woman to hold such a role.
Lansing later co-founded Jaffe-Lansing Productions, producing major hits like Fatal Attraction (1987) and The Accused (1988.) In 1992, she became chairwoman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, where she oversaw box office successes such as Forrest Gump (1994,) Braveheart (1995,) and Titanic (1997.)
Her groundbreaking career is profiled in Stephen Galloway’s biography Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker (2017.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Sherry Lansing
The single most important thing you can do in business is to be yourself.
—Sherry Lansing
Topics: Love, Business
If you don’t wake up with something in your stomach every day that makes you think, “I want to make this movie,” it’ll never get made.
—Sherry Lansing
Topics: Dedication, Commitment
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